mouse
/maʊs/ IELTSAcademic
noun
- 1.
A small animal with a pointed nose, small ears, and a long thin tail. It often lives near people and eats grain or food.
- A mouse ran across the kitchen floor.
- The cat chased the mouse under the sofa.
- We found mouse tracks near the cupboard.
- 2.
A small hand-held device used to move a pointer on a computer screen.
- Move the mouse to open the menu.
- My mouse stopped working yesterday.
- She clicked the button with her mouse.
Adinary Nuance
A mouse is the common word for the small animal, but it can also mean the computer device. If you mean the device, most writers say computer mouse or just mouse in tech contexts. It is not the same as rat, which is usually larger and less cute. In formal writing, mouse is still fine because both meanings are standard.
In other languages
- Vietnamese
- chuột
- Spanish
- ratón
- Chinese
- 鼠标
- Japanese
- マウス
- Korean
- 마우스
Etymology
The word comes from Old English mus, from the Germanic language family. Its computer meaning appeared in the 1960s because the device looked small and tail-like.
Common phrases
mouse and keyboardcomputer mouseas quiet as a mousehouse mouse
Synonyms
Related words
Frequently asked questions
- Is mouse a common word in English?
- Yes. It is very common for both the animal and the computer device.
- What is the difference between mouse and rat?
- A mouse is smaller and often looks more delicate. A rat is usually larger.
- Can I say mouse in business or academic writing?
- Yes, if you mean the animal or the computer device. The word is standard in both contexts.
- How do I use mouse in a sentence about computers?
- You can say, “Use the mouse to select the text.”